Support for boiler-flues



E. W. CLARKE.

SUPPORT FOR BOILER FLUES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV; 9. 1920.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET E. W. CLARKE.

SUPPORT FOR BOILER FLUES.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 9, 1920.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- fly/A UETED STAT ES PATETOFFEQE.

EDwARnw. CLARKE, or KmesroN-Uromnum, ENGLAND.

surronr non BOILER-BLUES.

To all whom it may concern,

Be it'known that I, EDWARD WILLIAM CLAnKE,-a subjectv of the King ofGreat- Britain, residing at Kingston-upon-Hull,in the county of York,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supportsfor Boiler-Flues, for which I filed an application inEngland, August 25,1919, and of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to means for temporarily jacking-up orsupporting weak portions of the furnace fines or steam generators toprevent the same from extending,

or developing, until such time as the defect can be repalred, and mysaid invention has for its object an improved slmple and inexpensivedevice for the purpose mentioned the form of a segment of a circleor'ring, the said members being pivoted .or hinged towhich can bereadily inserted in a flue and expanded to fit the fine at the pointwhere the weakness is present and be readily withdrawn after use, thedevice when in position forming an extremely strong support for the weakportion of the flue. 1

My invention resides in the employment of a pair of strong metal memberseach in gether at the top and being each provided at the bottom with aloosely mounted'nut, and of a right and left hand threaded spindle oneend of which is screwed into the nut carried by the bottom end of-onepivoted. curved member and the other end of which is screwed into thenut'carried by the bottom end of theiother pivoted curved membenthe twopivoted members when." their bottom ends are'drawn toward one another bythe threaded spindle, being reduced in size to enable the device to beinserted in the fun. nace flue to the point where the weak portion ofthe flue is situated, and on being moved apart when in the requiredposition, by .such spindle, against the inside ofthefine and form astrong metal arch which supports the weak part of the flue. Means .arepreferably pro vided for passing water through the device for preventingburning of the same.

Two or more of the devices may be connected together to form a double ormultiple device, if desired.

In order that my invention may-be readily understood and carriediintoeifect, I have appended hereunto two sheets of explanatory drawings ofwhich Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a furnace flue of aconform to and press v Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug,16:, 1921, Application filed November 9, 1920. Serial No. 422,972.

steam generator showing one of my improved supporting devicesinsertedtherein before being opened out to support the weak place intheflue, the fire-bars being shown removed to allow of the insertion of thedevice; Fig. 2 is a similar viewto Fig. 1 but shows the device openedout to fit the flue to support the weak part thereof, the fire-barsbeing shown reinstated; Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2 but with the right and left handed threaded spindleof the device omitted; Fig. 4 is a plan view of portion of the deviceshowing the joint; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bottom part of one ofthe two hinged meme bers of the device and of a portion of the right andleft handed threaded spindle, and Fig. 6 represents a small portion of aplain flue and a portion of one of the pivoted members having a plainouter face to suit the plain surface of the flue.

In. constructing a jacking-up or supporting'device for the purposementioned, in accordance with my invention, I employ two strong metalmembers A and A each of the shape of a segment of a circle or ring, eachof which members is provided at the bottom with an inwardly projectingportiona. The said two members A and A have their top meeting edgespivoted together as at B, and between them normallyv forman arch whichconforms to the cross section of the top and sides of the furnace fluewhen the.

threaded spindle D has one of its ends screwed into the nut C mounted inthe bifurcated bottom end of one member and its other 'end screwed intothe nut C in the bifurcated bottom end of the other member, the saidspindle beingsprovided with a nutlike enlargement (Z or with flats atthe center of its length totake a The segmental members ,A andA arepreferably of semi-circular shape in cross section, the rounded facebeing. outside when the device is for use incorrugated -fiues,

spanner for use in rotating such splndle.

(see Fig, 3 of the drawings) and inside when it is for use in plainflues, (see Fig. 6 of the drawings).

For the purpose of preventing the burning of the device, I preferablyprovide the members A and A with a bore or passage (1, to allow of seaor other water being passed therethrough. One and a convenientarrangement for causing water to pass through the device consists ofconnecting a pipe E by a suitable coupling to the bottom of the passagethrough one pivoted member, and a second pipe E by a similar coupling tothe bottom of the passage through the other member, the said two piecesE and E being carried out through the front of the flue and one of themcarried down into the sea and the other connected to any approved formof pump. such as a bilge pump, the suction of the bilge pump causing seaWater to be drawn through the device.

Any suitable number of the devices may be used in a fine, depending uponthe weakness in the fine.

If desired, the devices may be duplicated, such a double device beingshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In constructing a double device, I employ two pairs of the metal membersof the kind described, the two members forming a. pair having their topmeeting ends pivoted together as before described, the nuts in thisarrangement being common to both pairs of pivoted members and being inthe form of rods or shafts, one of which rods or shafts C" connects thetwo inturned bottom ends of two adjoining pivoted members, the other ofwhich rods or shafts (not seen) connects the inturned bottom ends of theother two adjoining pivoted members, the said rods or shafts beingloosely mounted in the in- -turned ends of the pivoted members whichthey connect, and being each provided with a lateral internally threadedhole about mid way of their length.

One end of the right and left handed threaded spindle is turned into thethreaded hole through one rod or shaft and the other end of such spindleis turned into the threaded hole through the other rod or shaft, the twopairs of pivoted members being simultaneously opened out or drawntogether by rotating the threaded spindle in the required direction.

The sea or other water supply pip is connected to the bore or passagethrough one member of one pair of members and the pipe connected withthe bilge pump is connected to the bore or passage through the adjoiningmember of the other pair of pivoted members, the bores or passagesthrough the other adjoining two pivoted members being connected by meansof a pipe F, the water from the sea or other source of supply passingfirst through pivoted member to which the sea Water or like supply pipeis connected,

through the other member of that particular pair of pivoted members,through the pipe F and thence through the adjoining member of the otherpair of pivoted members, through the member pivoted thereto and to thebilge pump.

To insert the device in the flue. the firebars are first withdrawn, thespindle having a right and a left handed thread is rotated in thedirection to draw the bottom ends of the two pivoted members, or of eachpair of pivoted members, together, which reduces the size of the deviceand so enables it to be inserted in the fine to the point where the weakportion of the flue which requires supporting is situated. Whenthedevice is at the required point in the fine, the threaded spindle isrotated in the necessary direction to expand the pivoted members untilthey conform to and press against the inside of the flue, when they forma strong arch which braces or supports the weak part of the flue; thefire-bars being then replaced. and if the pivoted members are formedhollow, the sea water pipe and the pipe connected with the bilge pumpare connected to the respective pivoted members when the device is asingle one. or to two of the pivoted members and the connecting pipe tothe other two pivoted members, if the device is a double one, theopening out of the pivoted members to their fullest extentb1i11gingtl1eir top ends so tightly together as to connect the bore orpassage through one member with that through the other member pivotedthereto whereby a, continuous bore or passage is formed, the joint soformed being so tight as to prevent the escape of water at the junctureof the two members.

I claim The combination. with the horizontal fire fine of a boiler, of asupport for the flue comprising two curved bars pivoted together at oneend and adapted to fit in the flue with their free end portionsextending downwardly below the axis of the said flue. said bars havinglongitudinal passages for coollDQ' water formed in them and the pivotedend portions of the said bars being adapted to be placed in contact whenthe bars are expanded, so as to operatively connect the said passages,pipe connections for supplying cooling water to the said passages. andmeans for expanding the said bars arranged between their lower endportions. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. i L

EDWARD w. CLARKE.

Witnesses:

LOUIS E. KIPPAX, FRED H. RHODES.

